Masticable tobacco substitute.



OARLETON ELLIS, OF LARCHMONT, NEW YORK.

MASTICAIBLE TOBACCO SUBSTITUTE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

Application filed April 20, 1908. Serial No. 427,971.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GARLE'ION ELLIs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Larchmont, in the county of VVestchester and State of New'York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MasticableTobacco Substitutes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to masticable to bacco preparations and consistsin a tobacco preparation adapted for chewing purposes and having thetobacco therein contained thoroughly sealed with a water-proofingmasticable Waxy body, all as more fully hereinafter set forth and asclaimed.

In the cure of the habit of tobacco chewing it has proved very difiicultto break off the practice suddenly, the system not tolerating thediscontinuance of a supply of nicotin without considerable distress,manifesting itself as an almost irrepressible inclination towardsresumption of the practice. Nicotin is a very active bodyphysiologically and in chewing tobacco it is the alkaloid itself whichis administered to the system, not its relatively less toxicdecomposition products, as in the smoking of tobacco. Once habituated tothis powerfully toxic substance, the human system finds great difiicultyin dispensing with it. In abruptly ceasing the practice of chewingtobacco, the chewer not only misses the habit of masticating,.but thefamiliar taste, and, which is much more important to him, the familiarphysiological effects. Nor has it hitherto been possible for him tocease gradually. It is not feasible to dilute his plug tobacco in anyway or weaken its strength materially. Nor, from force of habit, is itgenerally possible for him to chew less often or use a smaller chew. Forthe foregoing reasons the cure of the tobacco chewing habit has proveddifficult to the physicians skill.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a means anddevise away whereby gradual discontinuance of the tobacco chewing habit may bemade feasible. To this end, tobacco extract with suitable admixturesgiving the desired flavors is compounded, but the tobacco containedtherein is sealed away to a greater or less extent from the saliva bythe use of water proofing waxy or gummy bodies of a solid but masticablenature covering and sealing the tobacco extract. The degree of thisaccessibility to saliva may be made as great or as little as may bedesired, rendering it possible to provide a series of plugs of graduatedstrength, each progressively less available than its predecessor. Usingsuch a graduated series of plugs, the cure of the tobacco habit may bemade as slowly progressive as desired and grave systematic disturbances,such as follow sudden discontinuance of chewing, may be completelyavoided.

When unwaxed tobacco extract is exposed to the saliva it is of courseimmediately wetted and solution sets in. If it be waxed with amasticable body of a waxy nature however, it is not wetted except at theplaces where mastication displaces the wax and exposes particles of thetobacco extract, nor is the nicotin solution formed save at such places,while the progress of mastication continually tends to recover exposedplaces while exposing fresh surfaces. is that such a waxed material ismuch less available as to .the saliva than is an unwaxed; or, which isthe same thing, the same amount of tobacco, as in a chew of convenientsize, serves for a longer period of time before exhaustion. In otherwords, the chewer secures less nicotin from an equivalent plug in thesame time; the mastication is spread over a time as long, possibly, asthat required for several ordinary plugs. The advantage of this intapering off is obvious. The chewer has the familiar taste of thetobacco, he has the familiar mastication and he has the familiarphysiological effects, but the last in less degree.

Bodies of a generally waxy nature like those customarily used in chewinggum are of course unobjectionable in chewing, which is not the case withthe foreign fibers sometimes added to tobacco in making plugs; and they(the gums and waxes) are generally liked by the chewer. In and ofthemselves, they are often used in attempts to reform the tobaccochewing habit; but they have proved of little utility in this direction,satisfying merely the mechanical craving but giving neither the desiredtas't'e nor the desired physiological effects. Any of these bodies of agenerally waxy nature, singly or admixed, may be used in the presentinvention. Gum-chicle, soft paraffin, beeswax, ceresin, spruce gum, andbalsam of tolu, and many other normally solid but masticable substancesof a generally waxy nature are The result To the well adapted to thepresent pur impe'aneableto water whlle so and plastlc in the mouth.

Preferably I employ the so-called solid extract of tobacco and this maybe waxed as described and the waxed tobacco may be used with sugar,licorice and other condiments customarily employed in making the variousbrands of lug tobacco. For very slowly available p ugs, however, Iprefer a maximum of wax and a minimum of tobacco. the treatment of thetobacco habit in the manner described, the final plugs used are alwayspreferably composed mostly of wax with a ver small proportion ofextract, evenly distributed throughout the mass. In the last stages ofthe cure, the wax should have merely enough extract to give the desiredtaste without an appreciable amount of nicotin.

A suitable mixture of tobacco extract and wax may be made by takin twopounds of gum chicle, twelve ounces 0 tobacco extract of a specificgravity of about 25 or 80 Baum, four ounces granulated extract oflicorice and one-quarter ounce of any of the usual or standardcommercial tobacco flavoring essences.

' Another composition consists of two pounds of chicle, four ouncesparafiin wax, one pound of solid extract of tobacco, four ounces oflicorice extract, four ounces of snuff and one-quater ounce of flavoringmaterial consisting of essence or oil of valerian, cardamon and orange.

Still another composition consists of two pounds of chicle, one-halfpound of tobacco extract, one-quarterv pound of licorice extract, twopounds sugar and one-half ounce of the above mentioned flavoringmaterial.

In making up these compositions, I first melt the chicle or the wax on awater bath, heating gently for one or two hours until moisture islargely removed. This is facilitated by the employment of a vacuum pan.melted chicle I add the extract of licorice and the tobacco extract, andif sugar, glucose, honey, or similar sugary material is to be employed,I prefer to separately cook it to form a caramel like material, which Iadd to the melted chicle. The mixture is then well agitated, removedfrom the source of heat, and the flavoring material introduced. The massis then rolled out on a slab to the thickness required and cut to theshape desired. In order to overcome the stickiness of the material whilebeing rolled, I may sprinkle the mass with powdered sugar or preferablywith dry snufi'. In the latter case I secure amasticable tobaccopreparatlon having a coating when the material is first introduced intothe mouth, the flavor ofsnufi redominates, to subsequently be in partsuppqanted by the extracts and the flavoring material present.

ose as being I.

of snuff, so that I find in mixing snuff and 'chicle, that there arecertain limiting proportions beyond which it is undesirable to go andobtain a gum having satisfactory tenacity on mastication; one which doesnot disintegrate on chewing. If a large proportion of fine snuff bepresent, and especially if this snuff be in a very dry condition, onchewing for some time the waxy seal surrounding the particles becomesbroken to some extent and the snufi' particle becomes moist and swellsslightly, further tending slightly to rupture the seal, thus causing thechicle to assume a granular condition. In order to overcome thisdifficulty, I have compounded snuff and tobacco extract with the chicle,keeping the snuff below the point at which disintegrating actioncommences, and making a masticable tobacco preparation which isgenerally serviceable. While ordinarily one part of snuff to two partsof chicle produces a product which under certain circumstances is proneto swell on chewing, by using one-half or one-quarter this amount ofsnufi' and introducing an equivalent amount of tobacco extract, aproduct is secured which does not disintegrate during mastication, andwhich delivers its tobacco components slowly and gradually over a longperiod of time, so that the flavor lasts indefinitely and the usersecures the flavor of tobacco without the in-' jurious effects whichlarge quantities of chewing tobacco taken under the same circumstanceswould produce.

I find the most satisfactory-proportions of a preparation containingboth snuff and tobacco extract incorporated with chicle are representedby eight parts of chicle to one part of snuff, carrying from two to fourparts of tobacco extract.

Kneading the tobacco extract and gum or wax together thoroughly, makes amass in which, with these relative proportions, each particle isthoroughly protected by a film of wax, as well as being interiorlyprotected by penetrating wax particles against too quick action ofsaliva, while at the same time, said mass in most of its characteristicsis substantially like ordinary chewing tobacco. When articles still lessquickly available are desired, the proportion of wax maybe increased toseveral times that of the tobacco extract.

Less tobacco extract and more wax may be employed in making articles tobe successively used in curing the habit. For instance, after using anextract and wax composition in the proportions-just stated until thechewers system has become habituated to that amount of tobacco, acomposition may be used in whichthe relative proportion of extract towaxis diminished to 1:4.

After a due time, a composition having the ratio of 1:5 may be employed,and so on,

until the chewer is able to use wax alone tablet or other convenientform, may be.

conveniently assembled in a single package, the series begirming with awaxed tobacco article relatively strong, as described, and ending with awaxed tobacco article relatively weak. Such a shaped mass of wax andextract is also useful in curing the snuff chewing habit, the sameamount of nicotin products being much less available than when usedwithout the wax and the chewing lasting over a much longer time.

I lay'claimto this combination based on the discovery that thegranulatingefiect of snuff on ch1cle may be retarded or eliminated inthe presence of tobacco extract. I

also lay claim to the product roduced by so as to secure a snu coatedmaterial. I prefer to make my com osition in the form of sheets orstrips the size of ordinar chewing gum, these strips being coated wit athin layer of snufi to prevent adhesion and give a quick acting initialflavor.

What I claim is:

1. A chewing gum comprising a mixture I of tobacco extract, a finelycomminuted toof solid tobacco extract and a masticable waterproof waxybody, solid at ordinary temperatures.

5. A chewing gum comprising a mixture of tobacco extract of about 30Baum and a masticable-waterproof waxy body, solid at ordinarytemperatures.

6. A chewing gum comprising a mixture of tobacco extract and amasticable waterproof waxy body including chicle, solid at ordinarytemperatures.

7. A chewing gum comprising a mixture .of tobacco extract and chicle.

:8. A chewing gum consisting of a mixture of tobacco extract, chicle,licorice and a fla-. v

voring material consisting of essential oils.

9. A chewing gum comprising a mixture of tobacco extract, parafiin wax,chicle, licorice extract and a flavoring material.

10. A chewing gum comprising a mixture of tobacco extract and ama-sticable waterproof waxy body, solid at ordinar temperatures, allincorporated with suita le flavoring material.

11. A chewing gum consisting of tobacco extract and chicle, said gumbeing coated with snufi'. v 12. A chewing gum comprising chicle, snufl'and tobacco extract in about the proportion of eight parts chicle, onepart snufi' and four parts tobacco extract.

In testimony whereof I have aifixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

OARLETON ELLIS. Witnesses NATHANIEL L. FOSTER, HENRIETTA Banxwrrz.

